Student Scientists Invited to Apply for Scholarship to National Biodiesel Conference

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The National Biodiesel Board is offering scholarships for students interested in attending the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, Jan. 22 – 25 in Fort Worth, Texas. The application process for no cost registration, travel scholarships, biodiesel poster presentations and even a shot at the podium is open for members of the Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel.

The program is intended to foster professional relationships between budding and established scientists, share accurate information and increase collaboration with academia and the biodiesel industry.

Student opportunities include a poster session on biodiesel-related research or activities, a student-led breakout session to present their research, a preconference biodiesel educational overview and a mentoring session with prominent biodiesel scientists.

Last year, about 30 students attended the event from schools including Missouri University of Science and Technology, Clemson University, University of Iowa, and New Castle University in the United Kingdom.

Many of the students, who came from a wide range of disciplines, noted the impact the event made on them.

“Having individual scientists take time to talk to me about my research was so rewarding,” said Christopher Carrie, a student at Rowan University in New York who attended in 2017. “It was a humbling experience to listen to the impact each scientist had on the biodiesel industry and to hear their closing words of wisdom. My passion for renewable energy has started; it is time to get to work.”

Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. It is the nation’s first domestically produced, commercially available advanced biofuel. NBB is the U.S. biodiesel trade association.